I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. GRRRRRRR! I hate cliff hangers, but I love Elin Hildebrand more so she gets a pass. This is setting up to be a very exciting series. Two families' worlds are twisted upside down by one plane crash. Irene is left trying to figure out who the man was she has been married to. Great characters and one twist after another. Can't wait for the next installment.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The beginning of another winning series by Hilderbrand. It includes mystery, complicated characters and intertwined relationships.

Irene believes that she has a good life. Her two sons are grown and on their own. She has a lovely home that she has remodeled and decorated. She has a loving husband with a very demanding job. She has her own career with the magazine. Suddenly, her world is turned upside down when she receives a call telling her that her husband has died in an accident on the island of St. John.
She is sad and puzzled as to why her husband, Russ, would be on St. John.
The bits and pieces that Irene finds out about her husband’s job and his travels do not add up. Determined to get to the bottom of things and to have all of her questions answered, she travels to St. John. Parts of the puzzle are solved in this book. However, new questions arise at the end and obviously need to continue in the next installment in this series.

I just spent the last 2 days escaping to the island of St. John in the US Virgin Islands with Irene Steele and her family! Once I began reading about the characters in this book, I got caught up in their lives and couldn't put this book down! Elin Hilderbrand has done it again, taking her readers away to a beautiful vacation spot, complete with family drama, romance and intrigue.
Irene Steele had a pretty decent life- a great career, a marriage to a successful man, Russ (who travels a lot, but loves her deeply), a beautiful house she decorated herself and 2 sons who are grown up, one with his own family and one trying to find his way in the World. Until suddenly, on New Year's Day, her life is turned upside down when she finds out that the doting husband she thought she knew was in an accident in the Virgin Islands. Russ was riding in a helicopter with the mistress he had secretly been with for years, unbeknownst to Irene. Irene and her sons immediately travel to the Island to learn more about Russ' accident and the secrets he had been keeping from them all. While in St. John, Irene and her sons meet some interesting characters who help provide answers to some of their questions.
Winter in Paradise is the first book in Hilderbrand's Paradise trilogy and I can't wait for the next 2 books so I can find out more about these characters and their compelling story.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy of this book to review.

Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand is the first in a new series, and it did not disappoint! I liked the characters and the setting... as an Iowa girl, I really enjoyed reading a story that was partially set here and seeing the references to familiar places. It’s very typical of the author’s work... a well written story with some romance, some intrigue, and a lot of heart. The ending left me excited to get my hands on the next installment.... so please write faster, Elin!! 😊

I like the way Hildebrand writes for the most part. She develops her characters well, but has a tendency to awkwardly include sexual scenes that really just don't need to be there. I understand some people want that, but she is a good enough writer that she could have a really solid book without it. Romance, yes.... but leave a little to the imagination.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Winter in Paradise by Elin Hinderbrand can be purchased here on Amazon : https://www.amazon.com/Winter-Paradise-Elin-Hilderbrand-ebook/dp/B079L4YS4Q/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1546782228&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=winter+in+paradise&psc=1.
If you are looking for a boring book that you can read to fall asleep to or just read occasionally while you lie on the beach to pass time; this is the wrong book for you. This book had me engrossed and sneaking away to read.

Unlike most of the other books that I have read by Elin, this is not set in Nantucket, but in the US Virgin Islands. It starts out in Iowa City on New Year's Eve, as Lydia, Russel's wife goes through the motions of celebrating New Year's without her husband, as he is away on business. A mysterious call from a 305 area code brings a call that is life changing. Irene and Russell have two adult children; Cash and Baker. Cash is about to lose both of his Sporting Goods stores that his father had given him the money to start. Baker is married to Anna, an esteemed heart surgeon with a four year old son named Floyd. Baker's marriage isn't exactly what you would expect. He is a Stay at Home Dad that day trades while his son naps.
This mysterious call from the 305 area code changes all of their lives. This call enlightens the family on quite a few matters. It also reunites Irene, Cash and Baker in one place for the New Year.

There are so many twists and turns and new discoveries in this book. Even when you think that this book is tied up into a nice bow, the end is shocking! I cannot wait until the next book!

Before I say anything else, let me just say this - holy cliffhanger ending!

Winter in Paradise had just the right amount of drama and suspense without overcomplicating the story. Usually I’m not a huge fan of stories that switch between several perspectives and points of view, but in this case, the story kept moving and it wasn’t too difficult to keep up with. The cast of characters are quirky, individual and interesting, and I grew attached quickly! I can’t wait for the second and third installments in this series. Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

Irene Steele devoted her time to renovating the beautiful Iowa City Victorian house she owns with her devoted husband, Russ, thanks to his promotion to a well-paying job with a boutique investment firm that made their financial situation much easier even though it required him to travel extensively. Now the house is a showpiece and when at home with her and spending time with their two grown sons, Russ is a doting, sentimental husband.

And then tragedy strikes. Irene is notified that Russ has been killed in a helicopter crash on the Caribbean island of St. John, but she has no idea what Russ was doing there when he was supposed to be on a business trip.

Ayers Wilson, a waitress at a popular restaurant in St. John, rings in the New Year without her best friend and coworker, Rosie, who is spending the evening with the "Invisible Man." That's the name ascribed to the mysterious boyfriend Rosie spends time with when he is on the island. She does not reveal any details about him and Ayers has long suspected he is married. When Ayers learns that Rosie and the Invisible Man have been killed in a helicopter crash, she is devastated and heartbroken for Rosie's stepfather and young daughter, Maia.

Irene and her sons travel to St. John to attempt to make sense of Russ's untimely demise and are shocked to learn that Russ has been leading a double life. He owns a gorgeous, secluded home that he has obviously been sharing with another woman. Irene sets out to learn the full extent of Russ's deceit and, in the process, finds herself drawn into the magical, spiritual island culture.

Winter in Paradise is the first installment in a new series from best-selling author Elin Hilderbrand. And the series is off to a find start. Employing her signature style, Hilderbrand creates vibrant, complicated, but endearing characters. In addition to Ayers and Irene, the cast includes Rosie's stepfather, Huck, a fishing captain; young Maia; Nick, the longtime unfaithful boyfriend with whom Ayers broke up; and Irene's sons, Cash and Baker, both of whom are smitten with Ayers, but have left their own life complications back in the U.S.

The action moves at a brisk pace, never stalling or stuttering, as Hilderbrand pulls readers into the complexities of the characters' lives and their struggle to come to terms with the secrets Russ kept, as well as understand how Rosie came to be in the helicopter with him and lost her own life. There are many questions about Russ's financial dealings, the business interests of the mysterious company where he was employed, and what the future holds for Irene and her sons, not to mention Maia. Hilderbrand injects details about the beautiful island, a place she knows well and clearly loves. The combination of setting and character mesh perfectly into an enjoyable, compelling story with a jaw-dropping ending that sets up and leaves readers clamoring for the next volume.

Yes, yes, yes! I am never disappointed with Hilderbrand. The stories are always engaging and I love the characters. She has a way of writing that captivates you and you get attached. I can’t wait to read the next 2 books in this series!

I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was intrigued by the story line in this book. A seemingly happy husband dies unexpectedly. What his family finds out when they go to St. John to try to find out what he was doing there and try to claim his body is unexpected. They are surprised by his duplicity and it kept me guessing. The setting of St. John is lovingly detailed and makes me long to go there and see its beauty for myself. It is almost its own character. Each character in the book is developed and interesting and I'm intrigued to find out what happens next in this new series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Little, Brown and Company through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I spent the last four Christmases with the Quinn family in Elin Hilderbrand’s Winter Street series and it was beginning to feel like they were part of my Christmas tradition. I looked forward to my time with them, just as I look forward to my friends’ annual holiday parties and spending time with my friends and their families and neighbors. I was disappointed that the series ended and not sure how I felt about a new series.

I fell in love with the Steele family. Irene Steele is poised and has so much integrity and warmth. She guided her adult children without getting overly emotionally involved in their lives, something I want to strive to do with my children. I found her to be such a great role model!

Irene has two adult sons, Cash and Baker, both struggling in their own ways – one’s business failed, the other’s marriage failed. The day after New Year’s, Irene gets a call from her husband’s business associate’s secretary that her husband was in a plan crash off the coast of St. John and that he is dead. Irene gathers her sons and they make the trip to St. John, where they realize that they never really knew what their husband/father did for a living and how he made money and that he had a secret life for many years that none of them knew about.

While down there, Irene’s two sons both fall for the same girl – Ayres, who was the girl I wanted to be when I was in my twenties, free-spirited, sexy and fun. Irene meets Huck- a fishing captain and so different from Irene, yet they really seem to hit it off and he seems to bring out something in her.

I loved all of the characters in this book, but I am Team Cash all the way; Baker kind of annoyed me, but I did like that he had his “school wives” since he was a stay-at-home dad and I liked the advice they gave him and the things he learned from them.

I look forward to spending my next two Christmases with the Steele family and finding out what happens next in their lives.

Elin Hildebrand is back with a new series that looks like it will mix her usual luxurious world-building with a bit of mystery. Irene Steele has it all: a loving husband, grown kids on their own, a house that is a showplace. Then, she gets word that her husband Russ has been killed in a helicopter crash in St. John. What happens next is a thrill ride. I am excited about the next book in what is supposed to be a trilogy.

This book had such a great concept - a woman finds out (after he dies) about his secret life and immediately goes down to the Caribbean with her two grown sons to find out more about it. There were so many wonderful characters interwoven in the story! I felt like the author left me wanting more and I did not love the ending but since this is the first of a new series, I will be looking forward to the next one to find out where these characters go next!

I look so forward to the new Elin Hilderbrand book each summer, but now I have something to look forward to in Winter as well.

I loved the way the book intertwined the stories of Irene, her two sons, and island residents Ayers, Maia, and Huck.

The book begins with a mystery, as Irene's husband has died in a helicopter crash with an unknown woman and left Irene the owner of a gorgeous villa in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Irene immediately puts her life on hold and, joined by her sons, heads down to the island to discover the truth.

This is the first book of a trilogy, so the end is not a neat bow, but satisfying all the same. I can't wait for the next two books.

Winter in Paradise, the first book in Elin Hildebrand's newest winter series gives you everything you love from her novels; love, family, and drama. Winter in Paradise even comes with a little mystery! In all, Winter is a cozy, fun cold weather warm up!

Confession. I don’t think I had ever read a book by Elin Hilderbrand before reading Winter in Paradise. Though my feelings about this book are a little mixed, I overall enjoyed it. Winter in Paradise is the story of the Steele family: Irene, Cash, and Baker. Irene receives a phone call that her husband died in a helicopter crash .... near the island of St John. I went in thinking this a festive Christmas story, and once I readjusted I was swept into a story of family secrets and a mysterious death, with a little budding romance on the side. There were a couple of exciting reveals and a twist that left me wishing book two was already on the shelves. Check this book out if you’re wanting a break from winter and are looking for a complicated family story with a little mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!
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This was my first Elin Hilderbrand novel and it did not disappoint. I was immediately sucked in to the drama of the Steele family and the various islanders. The imagery was on point and I felt like I was soaking up the sun alongside the characters and taking in the beautiful tropical views. I can’t see where the second book takes us!

This was a super fun read and I already want to read the next book in this new series. This book was told from the perspectives of many different people brought together by the death of Russ and Rosie. I loved the descriptions of life on the island and the struggles of the individuals. I knew there would likely be a bit of things not tied up neatly in a bow since it is the first book in the series, but I'd call the ending a cliffhanger. Can't wait for book #2 (which hopefully isn't a full year wait!!) Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Little Brown and Company, for the opportunity to read this book.

I love Elin's books and this one is no different, except that it is not set on Nantucket Island which is a lovely change. It was so interesting and well written how each character dealt with the deaths that occurred in the book. I loved the relationship that developed between Irene and Huck. As well I loved the animosity between brothers over the same woman! It is interesting to see how all of the characters play out together in this book. However, in the back of my mind I continue to wonder if the two dead characters are still alive somewhere as their bodies were cremated before anyone saw them and there is something very fishy with the company and cast of characters involved with the company. Awaiting book two in the series in order to see how things unfold further!!!!

4 Stars!

This was my first Elin Hilderbrand book. It certainly did not disappointed! It was exactly what I needed going into the holiday season: beach, love, loss, betrayal and mystery. What could be a more perfect combo?

Ireene has a great life. She has a successful husband who is away on business quite a bit but still makes time to send her flowers. She has two boys who are grown and out of the house. She has her dream house, which she just remodeled. She has great friends who she spends holidays with, what really could be wrong?

One day Ireene gets a phone call that her husband has been in a helicopter accident in St. Johns. But why was he in St. John's and who is this woman and pilot that he was with when the helicopter crashed? Ireene has to put her life on hold and go down to the Caribbean only to find out about his second life that he was living. She discovers so many new secrets about the man she's been married to for almost 20 years and just can't believe what she's found. I won't say too much more as the secrets are fun to find out as they come...

Overall I read this book at the exact time I needed it. It's an easy read and not too long. It also had great pacing so it made me want to come back for more. I read it in about a day and half but easily could have read it in one sitting!

The only thing that is tough for me is the ending. It left us in a total cliffhanger and yes, I know this is a series but I was hoping I wouldn't have to wait another year to get more!! Nevertheless, I will definitely be picking up the second and third (when it comes out) in this series. I need more Steele family in my life!